The invention relates generally to the field of drilling and processing of wells, and, more particularly, to a system and method for catching tubular that is dropped during a casing process, a drilling process, or another type of well processing operation.
In conventional oil and gas operations, a well is typically drilled to a desired depth with a drill string, which includes drill pipe and a drilling bottom hole assembly. Once the desired depth is reached, the drill string is removed from the hole and casing is run into the vacant hole. Casing may be defined as pipe or tubular that is placed in a well to prevent the well from caving in, to contain fluids, and to assist with efficient extraction of product. Tubular may be defined as including drill pipe, casing, or any other type of tubular utilized in drilling or well processing operations.
During drilling and casing running operations, a string of tubular (e.g., drill pipe or casing) is typically held by slips mounted to the rig floor while a new length of tubular is connected. Specifically in casing operations, a new length of tubular is positioned above the floor mounted tubular string by a special elevator while connections are made up at the rig floor level. The tubular is held in place by the slips while a top drive is lowered onto the upper end of the tubular. The tubular is then hoisted upward by the top drive, shifting the entire tubular string weight to the top drive, and the slips are removed so that the new length of tubular can be carefully lowered into the wellbore.
Occasionally, the coordination between gripping of the tubular with the top drive (or with a casing drive system attached to the top drive) and release of the slips fails, resulting in the tubular dropping through the rig floor and down the well. Other scenarios can also lead to a dropped tubular. This type of event is usually costly and, in instances where the tubular cannot be salvaged, may result in abandoning the well. Accordingly, it is now recognized that there exists a need for a system and method for catching tubular dropped during drilling operations, casing operations, and the like.